Women’s Health Tips from Dr. Jen Ashton

iStock/ThinkstockBy DR. JENNIFER ASHTON, ABC News Senior Medical ContributorShannen Doherty recently took to Instagram to publicly chronicle her battle with breast cancer, posting recently that she felt a sense a relief to hear she was finally in remission, adding, “now more waiting.” So what happens after treatment for cancer? What does it mean to be… ...Continue Reading

iStock/ThinkstockBy DR. JENNIFER ASHTON, ABC News Senior Medical ContributorBabies may be more likely to have speech delays if they spend a significant amount of time on small screens, according to researchers from the University of Toronto.The researchers looked at 900 children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years old and found that by… ...Continue Reading

iStock/ThinkstockBy DR. JENNIFER ASHTON, ABC News Senior Medical ContributorLate night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel recently shared a personal and gut-wrenching story with his audience: His newborn baby boy was born with a rare heart defect that required immediate heart surgery. Many times congenital heart defects are picked up on a prenatal ultrasound. In those… ...Continue Reading

iStock/ThinkstockBy DR. JENNIFER ASHTON, ABC News Senior Medical ContributorProstate cancer is diagnosed in about 180,000 men every year and leads to roughly 26,000 deaths annually. And now, the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force has changed its recommendation for prostate cancer screening, specifically related to the blood test that measures PSA, which can indicate a growing… ...Continue Reading

iStock/ThinkstockBy DR. JENNIFER ASHTON, ABC News Senior Medical ContributorIt seems more young adults are dialing back on dairy -- and that may not be a good thing.The National Osteoporosis Society recently looked at nearly 300 patients under the age of 25 and found that 20 percent of them had been cutting back or completely eliminating… ...Continue Reading

iStock/ThinkstockBy DR. JENNIFER ASHTON, ABC News Senior Medical ContributorThe umbilical cord is the physical link between a mother and her child. It allows oxygen-rich blood and nutrients to flow between the fetus and placenta. But is there a benefit to waiting a full minute after birth before making the cut?Recommendations from the American Congress of… ...Continue Reading

iStock/ThinkstockBy DR. JENNIFER ASHTON, ABC News Senior Medical Contributor Is breastfeeding really better than not breastfeeding when it comes to brain development?Researchers in Ireland looked at 8,000 babies, checking in on them at 9 months, 3 years and 5 years, and comparing those who were breastfed and those were not. They found that in terms… ...Continue Reading

Hemera/ThinkstockBy DR. JENNIFER ASHTON, ABC News Senior Medical ContributorWe've got a real problem in the U.S. with sodium, which we know can contribute to high blood pressure, heart disease and death from stroke. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the average American is getting 3,400 milligrams a day… ...Continue Reading

iStock/ThinkstockBy DR. JENNIFER ASHTON, ABC News Senior Medical ContributorLast year, Americans spent more than $15 billion on aesthetic plastic surgeries, and breast augmentation was included in the top five procedures among women. But now, the Food and Drug Administration says that implants are linked to a very low but increased risk of a rare form… ...Continue Reading

iStock/ThinkstockBy DR. JENNIFER ASHTON, ABC News Senior Medical ContributorHealth experts have been warning about the dangers of indoor tanning – but now they have an actual dollar figure to back up those concerns. Researchers have calculated that the cost of medical care of tanning-associated skin cancers reaches a staggering $343 million every year. Not only… ...Continue Reading

iStock/ThinkstockBy DR. JENNIFER ASHTON, ABC News Senior Medical ContributorEvery week, it seems like a new nutrition fad pops up. But what is the actual scientific data on these fads when it comes to improving your health? Take juicing, for example. It’s certainly a healthy option in theory but when researchers scoured the evidence, they found… ...Continue Reading

iStock/ThinkstockBy DR. JENNIFER ASHTON, ABC News Senior Medical ContributorFewer adolescents see marijuana as a “great risk,” a new survey shows. And despite the increased availability -- as more states pass laws to make recreational marijuana use legal -- the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) maintains its opposition to it for children and teens. The AAP… ...Continue Reading

iStock/ThinkstockBy DR. JENNIFER ASHTON, ABC News Senior Medical ContributorWith so many of us turning to sites like Yelp for hotel and restaurant reviews, it shouldn’t be surprising to learn that many people choose their doctors the same way. Over 50 percent of Americans think online reviews are important when it comes to finding a suitable… ...Continue Reading

Wavebreak Media/ThinkstockBy DR. JENNIFER ASHTON, ABC News Senior Medical ContributorThree-dimensional mammography may outperform standard mammograms when it comes to detecting cancer and false positives, according to a recent study published in the journal Radiology. An updated form of tomosynthesis, which is a fancy word for digital mammography, combines multiple images to create a 3-D picture… ...Continue Reading

iStock/ThinkstockBy DR. JENNIFER ASHTON, ABC News Senior Medical ContributorBeloved Partridge Family star David Cassidy shocked the world when he announced that he’s battling dementia and would discontinue touring as a musician. Dementia is a brain disorder in which you see progressive worsening in memory, thinking, speech and behavior. So here’s what you need to know… ...Continue Reading